It’s extremely common for people in need of help with their mental health to wait to get it because of the stigma associated with it, says a social worker and psychotherapist interviewed for Mental Health Week.
Adrienne Carfagnini with Connected Counselling Services says the people of Renfrew County, in her experience, are often shy to come forward with their struggles.
One of the things she feels can help combat that stigma and help make people more open is to hear more about mental health in their day-to-day lives, whether that be through social media or other outlets.
Carfagnini sees Mental Health Week as an opportunity to do exactly that. She also says there’s a generational divide at play: younger people are more open about their mental health in general.
She says that trend continues with progressively younger generations, even amid issues like disinformation on social media.
Carfagnini also says it’s important to “normalize Doctor Google” – the practice of looking up information about possible health conditions online, which she says everybody does, including people who know better.
Her work, she explains, involves a lot of listening to people and being supportive of them as they describe what they’re going through, debunking myths and exploring issues more deeply along the way.
Carfagnini also says physical and mental health are deeply intertwined: the brain is a part of our body just like our lungs, heart, liver and kidneys.
Traumatic early-life experiences and living in poverty are also important factors that can cause mental health problems, Carfagnini says.
Connected Counselling Services has a team of social workers and psychotherapists, each with specialties in different areas to support different peoples’ needs.
The clinic’s website has more details.
(Written by Steve Berard)
